Q: Your art journey began during a difficult period in your life, as a way to cope with burnout. How did art help you through that time, and how has your relationship with art evolved since then?

A: Oh it was a wild ride! Learning art demands so much from you, especially if you are doing it on your own: you are your own mentor, psychologist, best friend, student, life coach.... everything! And art is pretty clear about how you are doing: if you cannot draw something that shows. Pairing that with a difficult period wasn't always easy - my job burned me out and then, suddenly, there was this difficult thing that I wanted to learn and had no idea how much time it would take or how difficult it could be.

On one hand, it was good, because art kept me busy - and at the beginning I wasn't thinking of monetizing it or even sharing it on social media. But on another, it was very challenging, because I wanted to learn as fast as I could, and that meant I mentally punished myself so much - every time when a study sketch did not turn out as I wanted it to or a piece did not look as I imagined it. I compared myself a lot to other artists too. But with time I also learned this is not a healthy relationship with the thing that I wanted to do to have something for myself next to my job - I worked a lot on how I treated art, my art, allowing myself to make mistakes, because that is only normal, when we learn something.

Q: You call yourself an ‘accidental artist’ and a ‘late bloomer.’ What challenges did you encounter when starting your art journey later in life, and how did you overcome them?

A: Honestly, I don't mind I am being "late" with art - in the majority of my life I didn't even grab a pencil to doodle, but being an adult student definitely helped be to build up my learning journey. When I realized art is a bit more harder to do, then picking a pencil up and start to draw, the next thing I did was deep research of what I need to be a good artist. I knew what level I want to paint on and I could go back to the first step: art fundamentals.

As a kid I would hate even the idea of sitting down to draw boxes or make still life studies - but as an adult I could appreciate the simplicity of the task. But this also means, I judged myself more harshly, then a kid would do. Kids draw for fun - adults, well me for sure rarely do that. When I sat down to make a study piece I was always nit picking it, measuring, measuring again, checking my values, are they good enough, if not, how I could make it better, how I could mess up the perspective that badly... kids don't do that. They just enjoy the moment. They don't care about how their art will perform on social media or if they measured everything perfectly. They just draw, because they love it. With time I realized I need a healthy balance between my studious side and the playful side - I need pieces when the only goal I have is to have fun. Draw something for the joy of creation. As an adult I had to learn that, it didn't come naturally.

Q: You’ve mentioned that your art is constantly evolving as your life and skills change. How do you approach learning new techniques and expanding your artistic style?

A: I love discovering new things, that's one of my favourite parts of learning art! How I treat it is really simple: I see something I like and I want to learn it, just to see if I can do it and if I can, do I like it. This year I want to get into concept background art - for my background skills, of course, but my fantasy world also needs some concept art, so it is fun and learning at the same time! I don't stress about my style, generally speaking, because it is constantly changing anyway.

Q: You’ve held workshops, critiqued other artists’ work, and offered support to fellow creatives. How has being part of the art community influenced your own artistic growth?

A: It can be hard and even scary. When people started to come to me to ask technical questions - especially as some of them finished art school and I was learning art for 2 or 3 years only - I didn't understand it first, because I felt like why they are asking me, they are making art longer than me/actually have an art degree. But the community was always so nice, they ensured me they are asking me for a reason - and I was always and still am happy to help. Not everyone has the chance to get an art mentor/teacher, it is so expensive, so we have to support each other. And when I realized people actually asking others and it is normal thing to do, I also started to ask questions when I had them - I have wonderful artist friends, we often red line each others' pieces or doing an art stream together.

When I learned how to use SAI - which is so different than Photoshop - I asked my friend to do a stream with me, where we draw the same piece together to help me understand how the software works and she just did it. It helps tremendously if you are being part of the community.

Q: You mention that your art is sometimes a statement of what you love, and other times it points out something not often seen. Are there any particular messages or themes you feel strongly about expressing in your art?

A: Yes! In this year one of my personal projects will be a short comic about lab rats. Rats are very close to my heart, I love them, I am also a rat owner (rat mum) myself and these rodents are mistreated so badly and people know so little about them. And I feel like I am finally at the point with my artistic skills when I can deliver a story about lab rats, a critter that is often abused and thrown away and to show there is a lot more to them and they deserve better.

Beside that story, I often use scientific elements in my works - for example I use lots of astronomical themes for my backgrounds and I love to babble about some science in my descriptions. And I appreciate the little things - like anatomy. Of course many artist draws anatomy for studies - it is a natural part of learning art - but I love anatomy, because I think biology is fascinating and beautiful. (Originally, I wanted to be a biologist.) I love to draw portrait pieces in a sepia tone as well - there you can truly appreciate all the forms and soft value changes and simple, white highlights. Not everything has to be about mind blowing colours and epic composition.

Q: What advice would you give to someone starting their art journey later in life and feeling unsure where to begin?

A: Don't rush it! Art takes a LOT of time and it is challenging! Definitely learn the fundamentals, you will need it - and trust me, there is beauty in their monotone nature. You don't have to sit down for a 4 hours long study - 10 mins a day is perfect! No, you are not too late or too old for art and don't compare yourself to other artists either: this is your journey, your art is about you. Just take your time, one step at a time and don't forget to have fun!